Insanely Good Olive Bread

"Olive bread is a kick in the pants to all the garlic breads of your past (it's almost shameful). Be embarrassed, garlic breads...you slacker, you!"   

                                                                -Author,  Me

 With this crazy warm weather, we want to eat light. Then 10 minutes later, we get zapped with cold and want to eat a bit heavier. Welcome to New England!

 This recipe is perfect for being in the middle!

 


Served with a side arugula salad or grilled aubergine w/fresh marinara, all the nooks and crannies of your tummies will be filled without feeling too heavy.

*This is meatless dish*

Ingredients:

Italian Bread, cut in half length-wise
1 can of pit-less black olives, drained & chopped
1 6oz jar of green olives w/pimentos, drained & chopped
1 stick of butter, softened
1/2 cup of mayo
3/4 lb of shredded Monteray Jack Cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms
1 clove of garlic, minced or 1 tsp of jarred minced garlic

Freshly cracked pepper (about 3-4 spins on the pepper mill)

Mix the above ingredients in a large bowl

Carefully, apply a thick layer of above ingredients onto each side of the bread.
(Ingredients will cook down a bit, so don't worry if it appears too thick)

Preheat oven at 375 degrees

Bake, on cookie sheet, for 20-25 minutes

Mangia, baby!
xox

Mexican Corn On The Cob (Elote)

Every year I look forward to summer. One of the reasons is because I love corn on the cob incredibly much. I start thinking about corn on the cob in March and by the time the Corn season rolls around, I am beyond ready for it! So, I knew I had to try Elote (Mexican Corn On The Cob).



I am realizing that this culture typically only uses mayonnaise for sandwiches & summer salads. Which is fine...but we've got a lot to learn! When I went to Germany, mayo was a dipping sauce for the french fries. And now...I learn mayo is used on corn on the cob in Mexican culture! The thought of the two foods that are closest to my heart being mixed with a condiment that was not even in my top 5--I was never considering to even go there. But...I did.

It. Is. Delicious.

So I came to share my new knowledge with y'all! (Do you see how much I love you??)

This will be a very informal recipe, since corn is a very personal eating experience for me (I like to see my butter. Dont judge me). Besides, I am sure there is no measuring on the Mexican street food trucks, eh?

Elote (Mexican Corn On The Cob)

In this order

-ears o' corn, shucked & grilled (about 7 minutes on the grill)
-melted butter (use as much as you feel-I won't look)
-mayonnaise
-grated cotija cheese (shaved Parmesan is also good)
-a bit of salt
-sprinkled chili powder
-4 wedges lime to squeeze over corn

Et Voila!

Yummage! (Yummy en Francais?)

Enjoy!

Ciao!
xox

A Good Cause & Chef, Todd English

Heard the news about the Macy's Chefs A-Go-Go, a national food truck tour showcasing Macy’s Culinary Council (MCC) and it's scheduled Celebrity Chef, Restaurateur, Author, Entrepreneur, and Television Personality, Todd English (who is from Boston, Massachusetts) and nearly broke my ankles on the cobbled streets of Boston to get there!



Chef, Todd English is best known for his restaurant, Olives, located in both Boston & Las Vegas, Nevada as well as his TV cooking show, "Food Trip with Todd English", on PBS, btw--and to top it off, he is quite the hunka-doodle-doo, if I may say so.



What a great crew he had with him that day. They were hustling the whole time with smiling faces. I felt like I was at Disney! The line was not ginormous--but it was continuous and they kept it moving. Chef English was serving for a while and then went back inside to do some hands on cooking. He was sweet enough to stick his head out ...twice (my darn camera) to pose for a picture. He asked if I wanted to pose with him, but I was looking quite gnarly with mussed up hair & didn't want to ruin the picture.-lol



The food was d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s! I had the prime rib slider, a bag of fresh potato chips and a sweet little cupcake.



I am loving these gourmet cooking trucks. Last week was the Cooking Channels Ice Cream Truck at Boston's Harbourfest--El Diablo ice cream was insane! (J.P.Licks, Chocolate ice cream with cinnamon & cayenne pepper). Insane!

Keep your eyes peeled for these events, guys--it is so much fun!

Ciao!
xox

Avocado Ice Cream

Yup....you heard me!


Don't know it until you try it! YUM!Ingredients

This recipe is from Chef,Alton Brown:

Avocado Ice Cream

12 ounces avocado meat, approximately 3 small to medium
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream

Directions

Peel and pit the avocados. Add the avocados, lemon juice, milk, and sugar to a blender and puree. Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl, add the heavy cream and whisk to combine. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and chill until it reaches 40 degrees F or below, approximately 4 to 6 hours.

Process the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. However, this mixture sets up very fast, so count on it taking only 5 to 10 minutes to process. For soft ice cream, serve immediately. If desired, place in freezer for 3 to 4 hours for firmer texture.

Ciao Bella's!
xox

The Original Pizzeria Regina

Discovering My Dream At Pizzeria Regina



Yeah, I know this is supposed to be about me actually cooking something, but I have to share this knowledge...experience with y'all. You will thank me for this life changing information. So...you're welcome.



I went to North End Boston today. I spent the day there...just walking around. I visited a few friends, had some gelato on Hanover, went to Modern's Pastry for a "to go" cannoli, got some Burrata for home.... and stood 45 minutes in line, in the the hot sun, to my childhood pizza joint, Regina's on Thacher Street. This is the original Pizzeria Regina. The place that started it all. The place where we learned that pizza, dripping in garlic & crushed red pepper infused olive oil, was in fact the only way pizza should ever be eaten (along with a glass of Chianti, of course). The real deal, folks. You will love me forever...put me in your Will...name your children after me, once you try this pizza.



Now...I didn't grow up in Boston, as most of you know. No...we drove from quite far, almost every weekend, for our (actually, my father's) pizza fix. These streets in the North End, however, feel like home to me. Yes, some things have changed. But it only takes a moment of looking at all the Art Nouveau detailed copper facades on the buildings to take me back in time; still faintly hearing my French-Canadian father say, "Yo Vinnie...get me a cannoli" in his best Italian accent.





But most importantly, it was these streets....this Regina's restaurant that started my personal dream of being a Designer, at 12 years old.

The life changing moment:

One day, we were walking out of Regina's and there was a woman walking passed us, wearing all black. Meters of fabric, as her skirt, wrapped several times around her tiny waist, carelessly tied with a ginormous safety pin. I looked at her, then looked at my fathers face (his eyes were rolling, if I remember correctly) and decided at that moment what I wanted to do with my life.

And here I am, doing what I've always dreamed of doing...(with a very proud daddy). I can't say it was the pizza...but I am sure it helped! :o)

Ciao Bella's!
xox

Yanny's French Toast

FYI: The earliest official mention of French Toast is in the Apicius, a collection of French recipes dating back to the 4th or 5th century!

Looking for a restaurant while in Clearwater,Florida, I read about this place that made french toast called, "Yanny's" in Clearwater, Florida. This place is funny. Mismatched mugs, in a mini-mall, no special signage, very casual setting...but the reviews are AMAZING! And I can see why!



Ta-Dahhhh....isn't this wacky huge?! And it's delicious! No syrup needed--it is covered in cinnamon & powdered sugar (and for a Canadian to say, "no syrup needed"? unheard of!...).

I'm full. :o)

Ciao Bella's!
xox

Fettuccine with Mushrooms and Walnuts

Cookbook: "The Skinny Country"
By: Chef Fabio Viviani

I made this meal last night and it was so yummy. I love eating the "fresh" pasta (fresh pasta in a package). It is better than the dry boxed kind. I am sure even fresher is better for me, but the local Pasta & Cheese shop was closed. Again, using the E-cookbook recipe as my shopping list, I was able to get through the food store quickly and get cookin'!


I am still trying to organize myself to know when to start what, so everything comes out ready at the same time, but I did pretty good last night. Again, in this recipe, the flavours are not something I have had before. It was delicious. I've cooked with herbs in the past...actually, sprinkling ripped sweet basil over a caprese salad is not really working with herbs per se, but...I've stuck some rosemary sprigs in beef stew before! My problem is, I thought I was supposed to eat those branchy things, all these years. Turns out...it is just for flavour and not something you need to eat. FYI: Common sense is not a strong trait in geniuses. I'm just sayin' (lol).

Photo of Chef Viviani from www.health.com. No, he is not cooking this dish in the picture--but we can pretend he is, eh? :o)

So, I added the sage and rosemary to the olive oil and removed them (as much as I could), which allowed the oil to be infused by these herbs. Brilliant! Then, I added the walnuts (what?!) to the oil which was followed by slices of garlic...and mushroom (huh?!). Ok...being Canadian, the only thing we ever have with walnuts is Maple, so this is a totally new flavour for my palate (and my palate liked it...ALOT).

I was trying to keep up with the pasta rising over the pot, with bubbles boiling over--so the pasta was slightly overcooked. Still...whatever..the smoke alarms didn't go off and that alone makes me closer to Chef-hood. :o)



Sprinkled some Romano (freshly grated) *FYI: If you spray cooking spray on the cheese grater, it will help you and your little arms from struggling to get the maximum amount of cheese you so deserve.

Another great recipe from this book--check it out! (I do feel a cookbook hop soon, though--wanting something Spanish!)

Ciao Bella's!
xox